Essence of his life
by Mitternachto
Summary: Thane owes Irikah his life, without her he would have still been out there, doing the only thing he knew. For everything it's worth, he wants to show her what she really means to him.


_**The essence of his life**_

_**By Mitternachto**_

_After spending so much time reading fanfictions about Thane and femshep, I still felt that I lacked stories between Thane and his wife, Irikah. Also, after playing through Mass Effect 2 I felt so sorry for him after losing her, I just wanted to write something where they were together and happy, a little piece of happiness before all the terrible things that tore the Krios family apart ;_; Sorry if it's cheesy or anything, I just wanted to write a happy fanficiton for once, haha. It's supposed to take place right after Kolyat was born, before Thane was forced to start leaving his family again, while they were still a happy family. _

It was a warm night. The waters of Kahje were still, and looked intimidating in the moonlight. The small waves brushed against the grey building, slowly licking the shiny metal. The only sound that could be heard was the silent humming of the nearby city, but this close to the shore the sounds almost didn't reach.

Thane inhaled deeply, and closed his eyes. The air smelled of the ocean, and he stood still for a moment, just breathing in and out. The balcony was cold against his bare feet, but he didn't mind. The air was warm enough.

He opened his eyes, and gazed out over the sea. Everything was finally as it should. The hanar had given him permission to go back to his family, to raise his son, to spend time with his wife. He smiled at the thought of Irikah, the delight on her face as he told her the good news. How she had thrown herself around his neck, tears of joy streaming down her emerald cheeks. It had been more than they had ever hoped for, for him to be completely released from the Compact – temporarily – and finally be able to pay full attention to his family. He was looking forward to the times to come, days of joy, days that would not be darkened by his choice of profession.

Suddenly, the silent tapping sound of footsteps reached his ears, and he opened his eyes. Without turning around, he could feel her scent. His lips turned into a smile as he felt her gently embracing him from behind, her slender arms wrapping themselves around his torso, pressing herself against his back.

"You enjoying the view?" She half-whispered in her low, delicate voice. She closed her eyes and leaned her chin on his shoulder.  
>"It's beautiful..." He replied.<p>

Without saying another word, they stayed still in the warm wind, listening to the sound of the waves brushing up on the shore. There was nothing to say. The house was empty, Kolyat beeing at his uncle's place over the night. Ever since the baby boy had been born, the relatives of the proud parents had been fighting over him, wanting to nurse and swoon over him. Finding a babysitter hadn't been a problem, so far.

"It's so different," she whispered. "Before Kolyat was born, I used to be in this house alone most of the time, always waiting for you to return home to me. It is hard to believe that I won't have to wait any longer, that you will stay with me this time. Stay with our son." Irikah mumbled, her eyes still closed. She nuzzled her chin against Thane's throat, inhaling his scent and sighing happily.

Thane turned his head slightly, leaning his head on Irikah's, and tried his best to contain the memories of what had been. All the times he had been sent out on a job, being forced to leave her alone. The pain in her eyes every time he left her, so many words hidden in the expression of her face, words that were never uttered. But he knew, he knew how much she hated to see him go.  
>And he couldn't blame her. He hated himself for leaving her. But the Compact couldn't be broken what easily, they both knew it, and this was all he had.<p>

He forced the memories away, and concentrated on the moment. On Irikah's skin against his, her breath on his neck. He let out a sigh of relief and happiness. Everything was finally as it should.  
>Without saying anything, he turned around to face his wife. Her sunset eyes looked up at him, deeply filled with emotion. He loved those eyes. How they always seemed to look right through him, so often filled with more expressions than could be spoken. Whatever task he ever had been forced out on since he met her, whatever target he had killed, those eyes always stayed in his mind.<p>

She was beautiful. Her emerald skin glistened in the moonlight, the darker shades on her forehead curving back over her head in graceful lines. Her lips, slightly parted, curved up in a smile as she noticed his gaze upon her. She took one step forward towards him, and fell into his arms. He embraced her and held her tight, locking his arms in a grip as if he never wanted to let her go. He inhaled, her scent was a lovely mixture of everything he seemed to love in this world, and he held her tighter. He couldn't understand how he had managed to leave her alone all those time, letting her go seemed like an impossible request, had anyone asked.

"We should go to bed, love. It's late and Kolyat will be home tomorrow." The affection in her voice as she spoke the name of their son was so strong, he held her even tighter. He let out a whispering chuckle, and with a confident sweep of his arms under her legs, he tipped her over and lifted her up in his arms. She squeeled slightly as she was scooped up, laughing, and clutched his neck tightly to prevent herself from falling.  
>"Warning next time, thank you very much," she said, leaning her head on his chest as he started walking towards the door.<br>"I wouldn't be much of an assassin if I gave warnings, now would I?" He smiled back, closing the door behind them as they entered their bedroom.

The room was conquered by the huge bed in the middle, moonlight lighting up the room from the huge windows facing the ocean. The house was so quiet now. Irikah was used to it, she had been alone in this house more than she had had company, but Thane wasn't. Silent rooms always made him uneasy, even in his own home. He carefully sat down Irikah at the bed, and went to open a window, letting the sound of the waves enter the room. Better. As he turned towards her again, she had her big eyes fixed at him, a sad look in them.  
>"You still don't feel at home here, do you?" She said worridly, looking down to the floor. "It.. it must be hard to suddenly be forced to stay put in one place, after being used to the opposite for so long." She looked almost ashamed of herself, as if it was her fault that he hed a permanent home now.<br>"Siha..."  
>Thane dropped down on the floor in front of her, taking her smaller hands in his. He lifted them to his face and gently kissed her knuckles, before returning to look her in the eyes.<br>"You are the most wonderful thing to ever walk into my life, Irikah. The very essence of life itself. Without you, I would have still been out there, being awake and yet asleep at the same time. You saved me from that. And there is no place anywhere where I would rather be, than here with you right now."

She looked down at him, a hint of a smile on her beautifully curved lips. She was completely defenseless to the sincerity in his voice, to the words he spoke. She had no way to resist him. Ever since she met him it was like her life had stopped and started walking the other way. He had entered her life so completely, that there was no way for her to imagine life before he came.

Without a further word, Thane moved in closer to her, putting his hands around her waist, and gently pushed her down to a lying position on the bed. With the agility and quickness of a trained killer, he placed himself on top of her, resting on his elbows to prevent his weight from hurting her. She looked up at him, amused, and before he could react, she leaned forward and kissed his lips. It took him by surprise, she had a gift for catching him off his guard, but he was not late to answer her action. She wrapped her arms around his neck, intensifying the kiss. He let his hands stroke the side of her waist, up towards her shoulders, gently caressing the folds on her neck, continuing up to carefully brush her cheek. He could feel a warmth building up in his stomach, becoming more intense every time Irikah's lips crushed against his. She started fumbling with his shirt, and he quickly disposed of it, saving her the trouble. She grinned, still kissing him, and with an unexpected burst of strength she pushed him aside, rolled him onto his back and quickly sat down on top of him.

Had it not been for the moment of surprise in her actions, she probably wouldn't have succeeded. As far as she was strong, she was still wrestling with a man that had had more experience in physical combat than anyone else she knew. She also knew that the element of surprise was her only chance, and as she sat down on top of his bare chest, she had a smug smile on her face. Thane raised one eyebrow and looked at her, but before he could say anything she placed her hands on his shoulders, and gently let them slide over his chest, abdomen and hips. He let out a small moan of pleasure as she playfully let her fingertips slid under his pants, and then back up again. He grabbed a hold of her wrists, trying to regain control again, but she pushed his arms down on the bed, quickly nailing his hands to the pillow over his head.

Thane let out a grunt, and without giving her a second to react, he wrestled her onto her back, positioning himself over her this time. He leaned over her, his lips so close to her ears she could hear him breathing heavily.  
>"If you don't believe me when I say that I owe you my life, Siha, I will just have to show you..."<br>Her eyes met his, and she could feel every bit of the affection he aimed towards her, she could feel herself drowning in his deep eyes, losing herself to everything that was Thane. And she didn't to anything to try to prevent it.

The waves brushed gently against the metal of the balcony, as the two lovers embraced each other completely and fell into a world of their own, where everything was perfect, and they never had to be parted from each other again. Ever.


End file.
